D pillars as well as a loading edge which delimit a boot space or trunk space opening accommodating the trunk flap are conventionally designed as hollow profiles in order to ensure a sufficient dimensional stability of the trunk opening under the torsional stresses which occur during travel. Per se it is desirable to place the loading space as low as possible to facilitate the loading of loads into the boot or trunk. In so doing however, the problem arises that longitudinal members of the body which support the trunk floor, are lengthened at the rear ends by crash boxes which carry a bumper cross member. If the hollow profile of the loading edge were to be drawn down to between the rear ends of the longitudinal member and the crash boxes, this hollow profile would be exposed to a considerable risk of deformation in the case of a rear impact and the crash boxes would no longer fulfil the task ascribed to them of protecting the difficult-to-repair load-bearing components of the body from deformation in the event of a collision.
A conventional construction provides that the hollow profile of the loading edge runs above longitudinal members and crash boxes and is connected to the latter whereby a single sheet of the trunk rear wall engages between the ends of the longitudinal members and the crash boxes affixed thereto. The loading edge must therefore lie sufficiently high that the entire hollow profile has space above the longitudinal members. In addition, in order to achieve the necessary torsional stiffness, the hollow profile of the loading edge must go over with a large radius of curvature into the D pillars on both sides of the trunk opening, which has the result that loads which as a result of their width only just fit through the trunk opening must be raised considerably above the loading edge for loading in and out.